Evidence from K2 for Rapid Rotation in the Descendant of an Intermediate-mass Star

Abstract

Using patterns in the oscillation frequencies of a white dwarf observed by K2, we have measured the fastest rotation rate (1.13 ± 0.02 hr) of any isolated pulsating white dwarf known to date. Balmer-line fits to follow-up spectroscopy from the SOAR telescope show that the star (SDSSJ0837+1856, EPIC 211914185) is a 13,590+/- 340 K, 0.87 ± 0.03 M ☉ white dwarf. This is the highest mass measured for any pulsating white dwarf with known rotation, suggesting a possible link between high mass and fast rotation. If it is the product of single-star evolution, its progenitor was a roughly 4.0 M ☉ main-sequence B star; we know very little about the angular momentum evolution of such intermediate-mass stars. We explore the possibility that this rapidly rotating white dwarf is the byproduct of a binary merger, which we conclude is unlikely given the pulsation periods observed.